Iran, Group 5+1 Resume Nuclear Talks in Geneva
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Representatives from Iran and six world powers launched a new round of talks over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday.
The plenary session between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) aims to hammer out a final agreement to end over a decade of impasse over Tehran’s nuclear issue.
The talks are held at the level of deputy foreign ministers and experts.
The Iranian Deputies Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht Ravanchi are leading the Iranian delegation in the talks.
The US Department of State had announced earlier that Acting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Robert Malley, James Timbie, Paul Irwin, Newell Highsmith, Kevin Veal, Felicia Swindells, and Julia Jacoby form the US delegation to Geneva.
Deputy Secretary General for the EU's External Action Service Helga Schmid has also joined the negotiations.
On Monday and Tuesday, diplomatic delegations from Iran and the US held bilateral meetings in Geneva for the second consecutive day.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian delegation held meetings with the Russian and Chinese envoys.
After Iran-US bilateral meetings on Monday, Araqchi had expressed satisfaction with the first session of talks with Americans.
He said the meeting covered “extensive discussions on the entire subjects, particularly on the issue of sanctions.”
Araqchi made it clear that the discussions have now become “very detailed”, adding that there are solutions to some differences, while some others would require more efforts and discussions.
This is the first round of talks after the parties decided to extend for more 7 months a self-imposed deadline for signing a comprehensive agreement on Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) wrapped up a week of intensive nuclear talks in Vienna on November 24 without reaching the long-awaited deal.
